Amtrak Roadtrip 2019
January 25-27, 2019

Some of us met immediately in the lower part of the three level bar on the food shop course of Union Station at Jackson and Canal in Chicago. Others took a turn that led them to the impressive Great Hall of Union Station before locating the rest of us. There were eleven of us all together including Jim Renkar, Sandy & Phil Wydra, Sue & Ray Hansen, Deb & Bill ‘Wilbur’ Mennell, Steve Skegg & Bob ‘Norway’ Lowankowski.

Social hour (or three) in Union Station

We had lots of time to socialize until the train departed about three hours after its scheduled time. We had been shown to a ‘priority’ seating area because of the size of the group, and the wait was not unpleasant. Another less-broken train replaced the original, and we began our journey with a mixed sense of adventure and foreboding. The two hour trip actually took four hours to Kalamazoo due equally to halts to permit freight trains to pass (freight has right of way over passengers) and to the conductors freeing the switches from ice. Their valiant efforts were appreciated, performed as they were in very cold and windy weather and most likely with heavy hand tools.

We relied on taxi service to transport us among the Amtrak station,

Our hotel—theHampton Inn

the hotel and the Kalamazoo Air Zoo locations. Rates were very reasonable and the drivers were friendly and proud of their city and its many restored buildings as well as the Air Zoo itself. We had breakfast in the hotel and supper at a bar and grill across a parking lot.

The Air Zoo is spectacular with four main sections. Piston-powered aircraft, from reproduction of the Wright brothers’ flyer suspended from the ceiling, to a really huge B-25 WWII plane were arranged in one area. The displays included the oldest flying device (a Montgofilier hot air balloon) A Fokker triwing and a genuine Sopwith Camel.

Children's Montgolfier balloon ride (free to kids).

The paint finishes on these aircraft were auto show quality and all the mechanicals were nicely painted or polished. A Ford Trimotor represents a 1920’s era of commercial passenger service when Charles Lindbergh worked with Henry Ford to create an airline using the Ford aircraft. The little children’s rides are in this area and include a Montgolfier balloon-theme and a Ferris wheel.

Jet powered planes, mostly military, were in another area. This display included a Blackbird surveillance aircraft. This is a huge, solid black plane that was many times larger than the B-25. There were experimental planes as well as retired combat aircraft. The Curtiss Ascender was the only remaining of three experimental aircraft that had been built, the other two having crashed in trials. Some big kids (our group included) enjoyed the flight simulators in this area.

Space craft are the third portion of what we saw. There are re-entry capsules, engines and a reproduction of Goddard’s first liquid fuel rocket (maximum altitude about 40 feet). The displays

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